- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico governor hopes 'pause' will blunt virus surgeSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gyms, salons, golf courses and other nonessential businesses will have to close under public health restrictions being reimposed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The Democratic governor said Friday she's hitting the reset button in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. People also are being told to stay home except for essential trips related to health, safety and welfare. The governor says the state is at a breaking point and that a two-week pause will afford New Mexico an opportunity to blunt the virus. Confirmed cases have now topped 62,000 in the state, and nearly 1,200 deaths have been reported.
- IMMIGRATION-CITIZENSHIP TEST
PHOENIX (AP) — Updates to the U.S. citizenship test will require applicants to answer more questions than before and could slow down the number of tests administered each day. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the updated test now has 128 civics items to study from and will require applicants answer 20 questions instead of 10. Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, says the changes to the naturalization test could possibly triple the amount each USCIS officer spends on testing applicants. Agency spokesman Dan Hetlage said the new test "covers a variety of topics that provide the applicant with a more well-rounded testing experience."
- AP-US-CLIMATE-CHANGE-UDALL
WASHINGTON (AP) — A plan championed by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico to harness the nation's lands and ocean waters to fight climate change is getting a boost from Joe Biden. The president-elect has made slowing global warming a priority for his incoming administration. Udall is the last serving member of a political dynasty that's represented the West in Washington for nearly seven decades. He's emerged as a leading contender for interior secretary under Biden. Udall's plan calls for conservation of 30% of the country's lands and ocean waters in the next 10 years, setting aside millions of acres for recreation, wildlife and climate efforts by 2030.
- SANTA TERESA AIRPORT
SANTA TERESA, N.M. (AP) — An airport in New Mexico's border region has finished a $9 million upgrade aimed at increasing capacity. Officials with the Doña Ana County International Jetport at Santa Teresa say the airport will now be able to handle some cargo planes and larger corporate aircraft. The airport is located near the border with Texas and Mexico, a region that has seen booming trade and commerce in recent years. The airport abuts a major rail line and a growing industrial park. The renovation was funded by state and federal grants.
- ALBUQUERQUE CRIME-MOTHER'S SLAYING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico have charged a Mexican national with the 2019 slaying of the mother of two state police officers. District Attorney Raul Torrez announced the charges against Luis Talamantes-Romero during a news conference Thursday. Talamantes-Romero is in federal custody in Texas awaiting sentencing for illegal re-entry into the U.S. He's also facing charges of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and other crimes. Jacqueline Vigil was shot dead last year in her driveway as she prepared to leave for the gym. The case had gone unsolved for months, drawing the attention of President Donald Trump as he pushed his tough-on-crime agenda.
- AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DOUBLE-LUNG-TRANSPLANT
PHOENIX (AP) — Seven months after he was first hospitalized with COVID-19, a utility worker from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has a brand new set of lungs. Doctors at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, where the transplant took place, are expected to release 52-year-old Arthur Sanchez on Saturday. He is the first of two double lung transplants the hospital has performed on coronavirus patients since the pandemic began. There have been reports of a handful of coronavirus patients nationwide who have received a lung transplant. Sanchez has called himself "a walking miracle." Doctors say he spent almost five months in various hospitals during his battle with the virus.
- CHILD WELL-BEING-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Any efforts in New Mexico to build a successful early childhood education system will depend on the state's ability to prevent child neglect and abuse. Members of a task force focused on child well-being relayed their findings to a panel of state lawmakers Thursday. Dr. Andrew Hsi of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center says it has been difficult to organize state leadership around the issue of prevention despite troubling statistics. The team of experts pointed to data suggesting 1 out of 2 New Mexico children have at least one adverse experience by the time they are 3.
- GOVERNOR-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An attorney who successfully defended the governor's emergency health orders from legal challenges has been promoted to chief of staff by Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Matthew Garcia was named chief of staff Thursday to succeed John Bingaman as he departs state government for the private sector. Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett said Bingaman continues to advise the governor on a volunteer basis in her role as co-chair to the transition team for President-elect Joe Biden. Garcia, as general counsel to the governor's office, made a series of appearances before the state Supreme Court regarding the state's pandemic response, the governor's emergency powers and voting procedures.